What To Do After A Bikram Yoga Class

October 23, 2011

When you hear your teacher saying “Namaste” to the class you now that you have made it: the 90 minutes in Bikram’s “torture chamber” are over.You have twisted your body in all possible ways, locked your knee, kick your butt big time, and sweat tons. Now it’s time to give yourself a well deserved reward for all this effort but before that you wanna make sure to take care of your body.Why? Because after every intense workout you should spend some time focusing on your body before going back to your daily routine. And this is even more true when you’re dealing with Bikram Yoga...

Spend a lot of time in Savasana

When the last breathing exercise is over (Kapalbhati) seal your practice if you wish, take a sip of water, fix-up your space and finally turnaround in Savasana.Remember that the final Savasana is very very important (probably the most important posture in the whole Bikram’s series) and you should take advantage of it. About 5 to 7 minutes is really the time that you should seek for. What happens during Savasana, if you lie still with your eyes closed, is that you will automatically drift into a light sleep. That will happen because you have raised your melatonin level during class, among other neurotransmitters (such as seratonin) and hormones, but the melatonin right here is key. It allows you to fall into a very light sleep and during that time you have vivid dreams and that is your brain recording your class.Remember that everything that you do, everything that you are physically starts with the brain, the impulses that you send to the body. And this process is very important especially after a strong class.If you manage to lie still and be at peace, you will wake-up automatically after 5 minutes.Lying there will also help you keep control of the whole sweating situation. If you rush out of the room after class you might give your body a bit of a shock and most of the time you will continue sweating for quite some time (even after the taking your shower).Replenish your bodyWhen you get out of the hot room your only thought should be: “hydration”. You have likely sweat tons (I personally do) so you wanna make sure to replenish your body. Avoid sugary drinks and choose instead water, a lot of water. That’s pretty much all you need. If you want you can add electrolytes to it.Almost all Bikram Yoga studios around the world are big supporters of coconut water and for a reason. The juice of this amazing fruit is a natural electrolyte source with a neutral Ph. However, along with all that goodness you’ll get also some sugars and the relevant calories. So you might want to limit how much you drink of it!

Get rid of all that sweatI really feel this point to be crucial as I see sometime people stepping out of the studio without taking a shower. This is wrong for a number of reasons.First of all it’s gross but on top of that it’s really unhealthy. By sweating your body gets rid of toxins, and those are now sitting on your skin. You want to clean them away from your epidermis. Also, after a Bikram class your skin’s pores are wide open hence many impurities can enter. Showering will avoid that risk.

Moisturize your skinThis tip comes from my good friend Cristina (the one who introduced me to Bikram yoga in the first place). After Bikram, with all that heat and sweat, the pores of your skin on your face (and on your body) are wide open thus you want to take advantage of this by applying, right after the shower, some lotion. If you do it, your skin will greatly improve. Cristina also believes that this is the best time of the day to apply the anti-wrinkle cream as you will get most of its benefits. I’m not sure about that but I don’t mind passing this tip along.If you’re a dude and think that is too girly well, you can either bring your metrosexuality out or just think about this as one of those things that your girlfriend forces you to do (such as putting on sunblock before going surfing or using cologne).

The good feeling partOnce you’re done with this routine the time has come to just enjoy the feeling good sensation you get after Bikram. Let the endophins do their job and just feel great.Namaste’!TheIronYou

I won't say it's recommended to exercise after Bikram but you can certainly do it if you still have the energy in you. Bikram can be quite challenging hence before embarking into a though workout afterwards you should listen to your body in order to determine if you can manage it.Also, make sure to hydrate yourself properly, after sweating tons in Bikram's class you wanna make sure to replenish your body!PeaceMike

Some say you should dry off naturally and then rub the body with a dry towel before taking a shower otherwise you loose essential energy. Do you think this is correct? Also I wanted to cycle to Bikram and back. Do you think it is still better I take a shower before cycling home or do you think that cycling is enough exercise in itself to keep the pores expelling as opposed to taking in toxins? (I am going to be cycling in London so there will be fumes...)

Hello Em,Honestly I've never heard of the "rubbing with a dry towel" thing before showering. It would certainly not work for me as I sweat tons, and it would take ages for my skin to dry. However, I don't see any issue with it, except for the fact that you might lose some time.As to the shower before or after biking, I always recommend to take it at the studio after class. It will clean your skin of the sweat as well as the oil and waste matter that the body has secreted during yoga, which would otherwise clog your pores. Personally, I would not wait to be home, even if it's just a 5 minutes bicycle ride away.PeaceMike

I sweat tons (so much that at the studio they give me two mats and two towels to preserve the carpet), so I do use a bit of organic soap as I want to properly wash my skin.It all comes down to personal choices though!

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